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Engineering · Civil Engineering Rank #123 of 220

Civil Engineeringat Wayne State University

Graduates earn $73,488/yr in their first year — about 6.0% above the national Civil Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $737K; scenarios range from $653K to $766K depending on AI disruption.

Detroit, MI Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
69 SOLID
71
Optimistic
67
Pessimistic
Earnings
$73,488
1-year post-graduation
ROI
13.1x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$737K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
55% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Wayne State University

Wayne State University's Civil Engineering graduates start at $73,488/yr — above the $69,097 national average, though not by a wide margin.

The 12.9x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.

AI risk is moderate — 49% task exposure — and the 15% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $27,500 in median debt clears quickly against $73,488 in annual earnings.

At #123 out of 220 programs, Wayne State University's financial outcomes for Civil Engineering trail the majority of peers. The value case depends on other factors.

Earnings growth is modest: $73,488 to $80,725 over five years (10% gain). This field may have a lower salary ceiling than high-growth professions.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$653K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score67/100
Earnings Multiple11.4x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$737K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score69/100
Earnings Multiple12.9x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$766K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score71/100
Earnings Multiple13.4x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Wayne State University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Civil Engineering graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Petroleum engineers
+1.3% 10-yr growth · 1,200 openings/yr
$141,280/yr
High
3
Engineers, all other
+2.1% 10-yr growth · 9,300 openings/yr
$117,750/yr
Moderate
4
Engineering teachers, postsecondary
+8.1% 10-yr growth · 4,100 openings/yr
$106,120/yr
High
5
Environmental engineers
+3.9% 10-yr growth · 3,000 openings/yr
$104,170/yr
High
6
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers
+0.7% 10-yr growth · 400 openings/yr
$101,020/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Civil Engineering

How Wayne State University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Loyola Marymount University
CA · Private nonprofit
53
DW Score
$88K
1-yr earn
2.7x
ROI
University of Southern California
CA · Private nonprofit
65
DW Score
$85K
1-yr earn
3.3x
ROI
Top score
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public
77
DW Score
$81K
1-yr earn
21.9x
ROI
Cornell University
NY · Private nonprofit
61
DW Score
$80K
1-yr earn
2.8x
ROI
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public
75
DW Score
$78K
1-yr earn
16.6x
ROI
Also at Wayne State University

Other top programs at Wayne State University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Wayne State University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Civil Engineering at Wayne State University

How does Wayne State University's Civil Engineering program score?

A score of 69/100 reflects decent absolute metrics, but Wayne State University trails the majority of Civil Engineering programs on relative rankings. Context matters more than the raw number.

How vulnerable is Civil Engineering to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Civil Engineering careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 49% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.